Gendur named WHL Player of the Month

When Dave Nonis stepped into office for the Vancouver Canucks, he pledged to initiate a new youth movement within the organization. Through strong draft selections and wise acquisitions, Nonis constructed the basis of a strong program that is centered on youthful energy and speed. His hard work is beginning to pay off with the emerging success of several prospects including the likes of Mason Raymond, Alexander Edler, and most recently, Dan Gendur.

Gendur has been named the WHL Player of the Month for January, playing for the Everett Silvertips.

The Victoria, BC native finished the month with an astounding 26 points in 14 games played, recording ten goals and sixteen assists. Averaging 1.86 points per game, Gendur made Silvertip history by putting together the most offensively-productive month of any Everett forward since the club’s emergence into the league. Along with his staggering point total, Gendur finished with a plus/minus rating of +9 and led his team to a 9-5-0-0 record.

Gendur is performing to the best of his ability in a career-season, as he has experienced success all year long. He leads his team in scoring and is tied for third in the WHL. After 46 games Gendur has posted career highs of 22 goals and 45 assists, placing himself among the top athletes in the league with an impressive total of 67 points. In terms of points related to games played, Gendur sits alone in second place with an average of 1.46 points per contest.

Within the month of January, Gendur was able to find the score sheet in 11 of the 14 games he played, boasting eight-multi point outings. His most impressive performance came in Everett’s 6-0 win over the Price George Cougars, in which Gendur chipped in on all six Silvertip goals, finishing with two goals and four assists. His consistent effort that week, that also included an additional goal and 5 assists in two other games, granted him the honors of being named the WHL Player of the Week for action between January 21st and January 27th.

Gendur’s sheer dominance helped Everett achieve their most successful month of the year, which included a season-high six game winning streak. The Silvertips currently sit fifth place in the WHL Western Conference with a record of 29-24-0-2 through 55 games thus far. His steady play throughout the month also earned him a 'Three Star' selection in six of the 14 games.

Gendur is currently playing in his fourth year in the Western Hockey League. The 5’11” right winger was originally drafted by the Prince George Cougars and joined the team for his rookie season when he was 16 years-old in 2004-05. He played two complete years with the Cougar franchise producing a mere 11 points in 79 games. His start to the 2006-07 campaign showed more promise though, as through 13 games he had accumulated 7 points (2-5-7). At that time, Gendur was traded to the Everett Silvertips where he would finish the season in astonishing fashion with 42 points in 48 games (20-22-42) and played a big role in the club’s playoff run, scoring 8 points (4-4-8) in 12 games.

Gendur's ‘bull-dog’ style of play warranted heavy consideration from NHL franchises, and gave Dave Nonis a confident reason to select the twenty-year old as the Vancouver Canucks choice in the 7th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Scouts hope that the veteran role Gendur will assume in leading the Everett Silvertip squad down the second half of the season and into the playoffs will provide some valuable experience that will help him acquire the necessary maturation that is required to take the next step in his career.

While his arrival in the big league may still be some time away, this shinning star holds the potential to be a contributing asset in the NHL. Regardless of when his day comes, his career and the future of the Canuck organization looks promising.

His accomplishments make Dan Gendur a deserving choice as the WHL Player of the Month for January.

6 - Most points in a single game (2-4-6)
9 - Plus/minus rating for January

14 - Games played in January

26 - Points recorded in January

65 - Total points this year (22-43-65)

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